How a 4th Grade Lesson Makes your Website More Successful

November 4, 2010

Remember 4th Grade? I don’t remember much. But, for some reason, I DO remember the lesson on Outlines. You know, like this:

I. Oh, c’mon

A. Is this really necessary?
i. Yes, it’s definitely a good way to rank better in searches
ii. Also helps users navigate your website more easily
iii. And find the things they need

B. When I was in 4th Grade, I never thought I’d EVER use this
i. It was boring
ii. And, totally unnecessary, since I was going be a spy

C. But, it appears that Outlines really help websites work better

II. Who says it works?

A. Um, Google, for one
i. A site that’s organized gets indexed faster/better by Google
ii. When related topics on a website are grouped together, Google can use its logic to find things easily
iii. Google works for the SEARCHER, and rewards well-organized sites.
iv. I’m not kidding. It’s true.

B. And, BeeLine. Your friendly neighborhood Website Designer and Optimizer.
i. We work hard on that initial outline before building or re-designing a site
ii. And it pays off in a site that’s more successful. (That means it brings in more customers, who are ready to buy the products you have on your site.)

C. ALL the Web Optimizer Gurus, who write books and blogs and articles
i. Which we read (yawn)
ii. Then when we build or improve sites, we use what we've learned. We optimize them so they’re successful to both Google AND your customer.

Here’s a short quote from one of the gurus:
Your site architecture—how you organize and present your content—will influence your search rankings.*

In 4th Grade, Miss Crenshaw made us do outlines over and over again until we got them right. I thought to myself, “Why do I need to know this? WHEN could I possibly use this in my REAL life?”

But, years later I find myself using the Outline lesson every single day while planning websites.

Because (another quote) ….
Proper planning of how content is organized and then accessed is another crucial yet often overlooked step in SEO [Search Engine Optimization]. Search engine crawlers are designed to emulate the behavior of site visitors as they follow links and index page content. It’s important that you design your site architecture to make navigating as easy as possible for both your visitors and the search engines.*
Search Engine Crawlers are the machines – owned by Google, MSN and Bing -- that collect every word on the Internet (mind boggling) and store them. So when you search on that word, you see all the websites that contain those words. How can you get your site listed first? Organize. Outline. If your site is a mess, Google will hand it back without much of a grade. Just like Miss Crenshaw did in 4th grade.

So, I guess it's time to brush up on your Outlining skills if you want your website to be at the top of the list when people look for your product online. I wonder if Miss Crenshaw is still teaching 4th grade.

*Mike Hudson, SEO Expert

We are committed to helping you thrive!

~ Barb Emerson,  BeeLine Design www.BeeLineDesign.com

If you're a BeeLine customer, you can view this and much more on The Hive. Lost your link? Contact us.

Hits, visitors, mean profit for you

One of the first questions I hear when discussing websites, is “How can I see the hit count for my site?” Remember back when there was a little counter on the home page of some sites? Although it was all the rage at the time, this is not very useful for gathering information about the success of the site in terms of numbers of visitors and what they are seeking when they’re online.

Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of confusion about website statistics – or analytics, as they’re sometimes called. Although you can still see those small counters on some websites, they really aren’t giving site owners much useful information. With more in-depth statistics programs, we can see not only the number of “hits” received by websites, but we can see where those visitors live, how long they spend on each page and the path by which they found your site.

First, let’s clear up the mistaken notion of hits. While we use the term often and quite loosely, number of “hits” on a website doesn’t tell us the popularity of the site. Technically, the term “hit” refers to the number of files a visitor views while cruising the site. Since there can be dozens files on each of the site’s pages, this is not a valid way to check popularity. Visitor count gives us a much more accurate measure of site performance.

The value of website visitor statistics lies in what we learn about visitors. For example, if you place a radio ad with a station that covers a specific geographical area, you can watch your visitor count to see the effect of the ad. (Of course, you always include your web address in any advertising you do, right?) The idea is to lead visitors to your website where you have nearly unlimited space to educate visitors about your product. The more educated they are about your product, the more likely they are to buy from you.

The goal is not to rack up hits, but to offer valuable and current information to people interested in your service, your product – and your expertise. So, it’s worth your time to keep track of your visitor statistics to find out what’s working on your website.

We are committed to helping you thrive!


~ Barb Emerson,  BeeLine Design - www.BeeLineDesign.com



If you're a BeeLine customer, you can view this and much more on The Hive. Lost your link? Contact us.

Copy/Paste: Your best friend! Ours, too.

Copy/Paste = Quick & Correct

I’m sure I'm getting about as annoying as a scratched CD, repeating and repeating the fact that sites containing content that’s updated frequently do MUCH better in search results, as well as being more appealing to your visitors. To be blunt, this makes you money, because people can

Well, today I’m here to tell you one SUPER EASY way to send site revisions. This past week, one of our customers, Sue, looked at her site and some of the outdated content made her cringe. So, she emailed us a list of the changes she wanted. They were nicely described in the email and it took very little effort on our part to understand each piece of text she wanted changed. Yay Sue.

But, Sue could have made her revisions even MORE efficiently by using the Best Friend of anyone who’s faced a keyboard in the past 20 years, the Copy/Paste feature. Well, unless you’re still using a Smith-Corona…I could never find the Copy/Paste feature on mine.

Here’s how to get site revisions made QUICKLY and CORRECTLY:

Open your website in any browser…Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc.

Select the text you want to change and choose Copy.

Paste it into a Word Processing document (probably Microsoft Word, but you can use almost any word processing software).

Make the revisions right in the doc.
Let us know what page it’s for. Just indicate the page name for each revision. Say something like “On the About Us page, replace the first paragraph with this:
‘Yada and Yada have been in business for 21 years. Even after all that time they’re still speaking to each other….etc, etc.’”

Save the doc and email it to us as an attachment.

When we get that doc, WE use Copy/Paste the changes onto your site. Yikes that’s easy.

This is QUICK because:

- You don’t have to try to describe the place where the revisions belong.

- We don’t have to hunt for the exact spot where they belong.

- We don’t have to type (although we’re all really fast at it :).

The revisions are CORRECT because:

- YOU are the best person to describe your products or services, and the exact details of your offer, sale or other promo.

- Copy/Paste eliminates the need for Spell Checking twice. Once at your computer and once at ours.

But the best reason to use Copy/Paste? It SAVES YOU MONEY. We are very sincere in our goal to keep site maintenance costs as low as possible. And, by sending us content that’s ready to go, we can pop those revisions online MUCH faster, which translates into savings for you.

One note: Don’t spend a lot of time formatting your documents. Websites and Word processing docs don’t speak the same language, so we often need to format manually. You can certainly use formatting like bold, italics, sizes and bullets. But, special characters, text boxes, and other advanced formatting will be lost in translation. We’re glad to insert text to your specifications, but it’s a waste of time for you to format, then have us do so again.

OK, I guess there are two notes: Just so you know, we love to write and are always available to write content for you. And we’re good at it, too. But, for content that only needs a tweak here and there, this is the best method, because it's quick, easy and accurate.

STOP READING right here, if you know how to do the steps above. If you’re unclear about how to use Copy/Paste, attach docs to emails or anything else mentioned above, read on.

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To copy text from your website to a document:

Open a Word Processing document. This’ll be the program you use to type stuff on your computer, like letters, kids’ term papers, posters, flyers, etc. It can be Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, WordPad or whatever you’re most comfortable with. The overwhelming majority of business computer users have Microsoft Word.

OR, you can find a little text program called WordPad on almost all PC’s. Click on All Programs, choose Accessories and click WordPad.

Go to your website and select the text you want to change. Just swipe it with your mouse.

Click Edit in the top menu of your web browser and choose Copy.

Go back to the doc you just opened. Click Edit in the top menu and choose Paste. Save the document where you know you can find it. (My Documents is a good place).

You can now have change the text to your heart's desire in the doc. It’s MUCH easier to edit than to re-type.

To attach a document to an email:

This process is entirely dependent upon which email program you use. MOST email programs indicate the attachment function with a paper clip icon. Look for the paper clip and click.

This will open a window. Browse to the document you’re attaching and select it.

Questions? That’s why we’re here. For YEARS we’ve been helping businesses sail through their work, so anything we can do to help your relationship with your confuser, er computer, just give us a buzz 262.767.8887. Better yet, ask a question on our blog.

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Speaking of website revisions, are you ready to put your Christmas specials online? Well, get going. How many purchases did you lose during the 2009 season to big, wealthy stores? Does the average Christmas shopper even know you sell gifts? Or potential gifts? Unique gifts? Gift cards? Personalized presents to prove your passion?

We really are committed to helping you thrive!

Can't write? Recycle!

"Find content for your website in your brochures, sell sheets, product lists and other printed material."][/caption]

Last week we talked about updating your website with new
content so it works better in searches and makes visitors want
to stick around. Here are more suggestions for updating website content.

If you’re like most people, the sight of a blank paper or screen gives you sweaty palms and a rapid heart rate. And, writing about yourself or your business puts panic into really high gear. But, I’m willing to bet a month’s hosting that you are literally SURROUNDED by website content that you haven’t thought of yet. So, no worries. The writing is already done.

Look at your printed stuff:

your brochures. Is all the stuff from your brochures and sell sheets on your site? You probably spent a long time writing that stuff, (or paid someone) so put it to good use.

your ads. Do you have ads running in newspapers or magazines? How about the phone book? Are you advertising for new staff? I am honestly amazed when I see ads in the paper for hiring new employees and there’s not a WORD about employment on the company site. You can be absolutely certain that the first thing job seekers do is jump online to check you out.

your list of products or services. You may be advertising tires, but do your customers know you do oil changes? How many times have you heard “I didn’t know you did that!”? Then they admit they’ve been going to your competition for that service. Yipes.

your employee list. Well? You’ve probably got some interesting, talented or skilled people hanging around your business (you wouldn’t hire them if they weren’t) and they may have interesting back stories. There are also lots of reasons people are qualified . . . do your customers know the unique qualifications of you and your staff?

articles. Many of the businesses I visit have a wall dedicated to framed articles about them that have appeared in newspapers and magazines. Are yours on your site? Even better, create a link to the online version of articles! Links are SOOO easy to create.
Here’s a great example: I get newsletters every week from all the Chambers of Commerce to which BeeLine belongs. Every issue features news items about members. If it’s about YOUR business, put it on your website! What are you waiting for? It’s as easy as sending us an email: “Will you post the Chamber article on our site? Put it on the front page and call it ‘Grand Opening’”.

testimonials. Your customers say nice things about you, don’t they? Testimonials are one of the most powerful convincers of all time. People truly believe what other people say. So, put some of those comments on your website! And, add more as they come in. If they come by email, hit Forward and send them to us. It takes a second and it’s SO effective

And, what about photos? So, you went to a trade show and someone snapped your mug while you were in the booth. Did they email it to you? Then forward it and we’ll get it posted. Or, you got a new sign for your building. Snap a picture for your website. Now. Before it gets old.

Remember, Google and the other search engines love new content. Your site will rank higher in searches and remain more appealing to your customers if there’s fresh stuff to see. So, grab all that new content and let’s get it online.

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CHRISTMAS!! Even though temps are still in the 80’s and the grass is green, Christmas is coming up fast! Catch those shoppers before they go off to a distant mall and spend all their money!!

~ Barb Emerson, BeeLine Design - www.BeeLineDesign.com

Google LOVES new stuff

Dusty old websites that haven’t been updated in awhile tend to sink to the bottom of search results. But, sites that contain new, fresh, interesting content will climb. And, it’s SO easy to change up the content, I always wonder why people don’t do it more often.

Google LOVES new website content. In fact, all the search engines love new content so much that when they see something’s changed, they push your site higher on the search results pages. This means your site is more likely to be found by people who are looking for your stuff. They click through to your site, find the new stuff that wasn’t there last time and are MUCH more likely to stick around to see what else you’ve got to offer.

So, how do you add new stuff? Email us! A quick email only takes seconds:

-  we changed our hours

-  could you add a map?

-  we got a new employee

-  our address changed

-  widgets are on sale this week

-  opened a new store

-  etc. etc. etc.

I see new ads in the local newspapers every week. I see big, expensive ads in slick magazines. When new phone books come out, YIPES! There’s new stuff about your business. It amazes me that business owners don’t think about their websites! You’ve already got the content ready to publish! Just send it to us and we’ll make sure ALL your customers can find it!

Google LOVES updates and so do your customers. They'll appreciate seeing fresh content on your site.

Work faster, better, happier!

This is Mike. Mike has been in business for a long time and wasn’t aware that there was a more efficient way to run things at the office, at home and on his website. “I would hover around Amanda’s desk while she was on the phone to find out what time my appointments were.”


Amanda, the office manager, didn’t know how to send BeeLine the updates for their website, so the site got outdated. “We weren't showing our latest products on our website, so we were losing business.” Mike had separate emails for home and office and couldn’t access them both at once. Business was great, but they were wasting time trying to communicate with each other, with their customers and to keep their site up to date.

Last Thursday, Mike and I got on the phone together. Within an hour, we had him plugged into a system where he could access his email and calendar from the office, at home and on the road. Amanda and the rest of his staff can see his calendar and add appointments.

Then I got on the phone with Amanda and we installed a program on her computer that quickly organizes their hundreds of photos. We set up an online photo album where they can easily upload photos for us to put on their website. They can write comments on the pictures letting us know exactly how to use the pics on their site, and give detailed descriptions of the products they represent. BeeLine’s designers access the photos, then optimize them to make sure they load quickly and look stunning on the site.

Here’s what Mike had to say:

“Thanks for all of your help. I am already using my calendar and new email. You helped me to have more time to enjoy life.
You not only run a very professional business, you are a great friend.”


Did you know that BeeLine can help make life easier for you? There's no software to buy. Just a better way to get things done. In fact, if you're a BeeLine-hosted customer, these products may already be in place. Let us show you how to use them! Send me an email right now: bee@BeeLineDesign.com.
Or give me a buzz: 262.767.8887

We want to help your business thrive!

How can I get my site to the top of Google searches (take 2)?

"When we google our keywords our website does not show up-all the other [retailers] in town are listed but not our company what should we do?"

This is a real email from a real customer. It's the most-asked question in the Web World, so let's get the right answer. The MOST IMPORTANT item in getting Google to notice your site is....

Content: A very well-written website that clearly tells customers what you do is most successful in Google searches. Let me say that a different way: Content is King. The text content on your website is hands-down the most important factor in pushing your site to the top of the search results.

There are other factors that affect your Search Engine Rank, but this is the one that you should look at right now. If your site is languishing on page 5 of the searches, start re-writing and we will gladly add your new text to your site.

Don't like writing? Well, we love it. It's what we do. And, we've made sites EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL by writing great content. Pick up the phone right now: 262.767.8887.

How much socializing can you do in a day?

Whoa! Is social media eating your day? I've talked to people whose Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In associations have nearly obliterated their time for productive work...

And, I've talked to others who swear their socializing has brought them more business...

What's your take? Is Facebook a help or a hindrance?

Don't Worry. Bee Happy. And we mean it.

Whoa! This morning I got a frantic phone message from a customer who hosts with BeeLine. We also manage this customer's domain name. (Their dot com.) We'd sent her a notification of domain name renewal and she'd misplaced it, so it didn't get paid. She was terribly worried that her domain name would expire and her Web site would go away entirely.

No worries!
If BeeLine is managing your domain name -- which we do for most of our customers -- you never need to worry about the domain expiring. We take expirations very, very seriously. Because if your domain expires, your Web site goes away.

So, we have a system in place that's nearly foolproof:

- When your domain comes up for renewal, we notify you well in advance of expiration dates...usually about two months in advance. Just in case you decide to take a trip to Tahiti for a month without your laptop and cellphone.

- Then, as an added safety net, we automatically renew the name for another year, no matter what.
Let me say that again: Your domain name is set to renew AUTOMATICALLY whether you've paid the fee or not. We know that your domain name is crucial to keeping your site online... and therefore to the process of running your business. So in essence, your domain name doesn't expire unless we haven't heard from you in over a year.

Why do we renew domain names at our own expense? Because we're nice. And, because we know how hectic your life is. We know that running a business and taking care of employees and products and customers can be more than a full time job. We feel it's our job to take all the worry out of your online life while you get on with your offline life.

Do we sometimes get stuck paying for a domain name we can't use? Of course we do. But, we'd rather risk that expense than have our customers' Web sites go offline. Every day that passes more people are looking online for products and services. This means that your Web site becomes more crucial to running your business successfully. . . and your success is ours, too.

So, we mean it when we say Don't Worry. Bee happy.

Are you tossing $100 in the trash?

Many businesses have received a coupon from Google in the mail (the postal mail, that is) worth $100. Most people don't know what to do with the coupon, so lots of people  have been throwing them away.

If you do have one of those coupons and you haven't thrown it away yet, give us a buzz. 262.767.8887. It really is worth a hundred bucks! And, it's an excellent way to push your Web site to a better position in the search results. In other words, using your FREE $100 for some online advertising could ultimately result in more people visiting your Web site.... and finding out what you offer ....and then buying the things you offer.... which is how you make your money!

The Short Story: Google's $100 coupon = money in your pocket.

Don't throw it away. Give us a buzz: 262.767.8887 or email or comment on this posting!

PS: We never lie. There is never a guarantee that your site will be ranked higher in search results. And, if anyone says anything resembling the word "guarantee" when talking about Google rankings, they're not telling the whole truth. Your rank depends on lots of things, including

• your competition


• how savvy they are about online marketing


• your location


• and most of all the quality of your site. It needs to have a great structure, lots of keywords, links and informative content (among other things)

Why cheap hosting isn't cheap

 

What's your time worth?

It’s been a long time since I’ve changed the oil in my car. A really long time. Mainly because by the time I slip out of my strappy sandals and crawl under my SUV on the cold garage concrete, the guy down the street can have the oil changed, fluids checked, tires aired and bug kamikazies scrubbed off the windshield. I’d still be looking for the wrench. It’s easy to figure out why he’s so fast. He does it every day. He’s got the right tools. His shop is set up for exactly that function. The most common filters are in stock. Each of these factors brings his oil-change time down. And, if that’s how he makes his living, then time is a really good thing to have on his side. When he’s looking for his wrench, he’s not making money.

And, while you’re on the phone with the Hosting Company from Planet Zune listening to them explain All About DNS Servers (but they were CHEAPER!) you are not making money at what you do best: running your business, selling your product, providing your service. Nor are you enjoying a round of golf, a beer with a buddy or coffee with your friend from college.

 

There’s a bright side: you’ll learn everything you need to know about hosting and domain names and DNS routing, so you don’t have to depend upon someone else to know all that for you. Just like if I changed my own oil, I’d certainly know the part number on my oil filter. But, if you’re like most people who have just one web site, you’re learning something that you’ll likely seldom use again. Or you hope so, because contacting your hosting company means there’s something wrong with your Web site. And, there aren’t too many people who enjoy Musak enough to spend an afternoon on hold with their Web hosting company while they escalate your issue to ever higher levels of tech support. Meanwhile, your Web site languishes in Web limbo displaying the 404 Not Found message. Hard to sell product with that message out there.

Here’s  a thought: If you’re in business, you probably have a phone. It would be kind of odd to be phoneless, I guess. What do you pay for the phone service? If it’s reliable and has voice mail, in case you’re busy and caller id in case you’re trying to avoid someone, then you can justify paying a reasonable fee. After all, without a phone, it would be really difficult to run your business at all. Thank goodness you don’t have to learn all about how each phone call is routed to your business! What a waste of time that would be. Let the phone company take care of the technicalities of fiber optics and routing calls to the right place. You simply buy a phone, plug in the cord and start taking orders.

Here’s another thought: What do you pay for your phone book ad? Or should we say ads, because in this area, there are multiple phone books and guessing which one your potential customer chooses is just that: guessing. Where are those copious phone books anyway? Most people haven’t seen their phone book since it landed on the front steps in the rain last summer. And they’re probably not missing it a whole lot, because it’s a LOT easier to look you up online.  No problem finding Google.. . and from Google you can get just about anywhere, including to your Web site’s front door…if it’s online and functioning correctly.

And another: Have you had a brochure printed lately? Did you do it yourself, spending hours learning Microsoft Publisher and buying perfect paper and matching envelopes? Once again, you’ve learned a new software program, discovered a lot about brochure layout. But, it’s not something that you’ll use again until it’s time for a new brochure. And, while you were in the back room cutting and pasting, who was minding your business and dealing with your customers? So, you're probably better off to have your brochure printed by a professional printing company.

While Bob the Cheap Hosting Guy is in the back room kissing Martina, here at the BeeLine Hive we’re busy learning Google’s methods, discovering better domain names and targeting your site’s content to the right customers (the ones who BUY!). No gimmicks. Just doing our best at what we do best: making your web site work for your business. Cheap Bob doesn’t really care whether you’re successful. He just wants to be sure he gets thousands of customers like you, so HE can spend some time on the golf course while you talk to tech support to get your site working right.

So, let us take the headache out of hosting.  And stay with what you’re really good at: serving YOUR customers.

 

PS  I really did change my own oil when I was a teen. In fact, I even changed out the fuel pump in my first car, a Ford Falcon.

Should you register another domain name?

Some good reasons for using multiple names for your Web site

Now that you have your domain name printed on everything including your vehicle, you certainly don’t want to change it. But, did you know that you can have more than one domain name pointing to your Web site? It’s exactly like having two phone numbers ring to your building. Registering an additional name is an affordable way to help customers find you! Here are several good reasons to register another name and have it point to your Web site.

Search rank
Although it’s not the MOST important thing, it does help your search rank if your product or service is IN your domain name. Now, this isn’t a reason to jump online and start registering every name you can that has to do with the widgets you sell. Widgets.com, widgets.org, widgets.biz, etc. etc. Enough already. But, a name like WidgetInstallers.com definitely gets Google to see your Web site as very relevant in a search for “How do I install a widget?”.  

Stickiness WeBuyUglyHouses.com is one domain you don’t easily forget. . . it sticks in your mind. So, Anderson Bauman Chiropractic took that idea and ran with it. Their alternate domain name NotJustBackPain.com not only lets customers know what they do, but mentions that there are many reasons to make an appointment with your chiropractor. Be creative. Think of short sentences or phrases that people can easily remember. And, get that name registered today...before someone else gets it.

MisspellingsAnother great reason to have multiple names is to account for misspellings. Franks County Market found that lots of people mistakenly call the store Frank’s Country Market (with the R). So, he registered that name, too. For only $25 a year, ($20 this month!) he’s sure that he’s not missing all the folks who think Frank’s is a COUNTRY store, not a COUNTY store.

Ditch the dash
You could also remove the dash. When the Garden of Eder first registered their name, they didn’t think about saying it out loud. Saying “Garden dash of dash Eder dot com” is a bit awkward. So, Garden-of-Eder.com was complemented by another intuitive domain: GardenofEder.com.

Do you have questions about using multiple domain names for customers to find your Web site? Leave a comment!

How about a new .name?

Domain names on sale through August 31!
Register during August and receive $5 off!

You have a great idea for a domain name? Then now is the time to register that clever name you thought up while you couldn't sleep last night. . . or the night before!

You don’t need to limit yourself to dot com. There are lots of other domain extensions that have some very clever uses: .net, .biz and .info are only a few. Check all of them here.

Why register through BeeLine? Simple. Because we’re right here to answer your questions and suggest ways to make your business thrive. Our goal is to make you successful -- both online and offline.